Operation Safe Driver Week Starts Sunday, October 15, 2017

From Sunday, October 15 to Saturday, October 21, 2017, Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers and Commercial Vehicle Division officers will spread out across the state roadways to combat unsafe driving behaviors by both truck and car drivers. The week-long operation is part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week. During the seven day emphasis, troopers and commercial vehicle enforcement officers will be on the lookout for drivers of commercial vehicles and cars that are exhibiting unsafe driving behaviors.

In 2015, CVSA data indicates a total of 3,852 people died in large truck crashes. According to the data, 16 percent of these deaths were truck occupants, 69 percent were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles. A majority of these collisions were preventable because they were caused by unsafe driving. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s data, in Washington State in 2016, there were 48 fatal and 96 serious injury collisions involving heavy trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds. Out of these 2016 collisions, 51 people were killed and 118 people were seriously injured.

Extra troopers and commercial vehicle officers will be on the lookout for several unsafe driving behaviors such as:

Speeding

Distracted driving

Aggressive driving

Failing to use seatbelt,

Traveling too closely

Improper lane change

Failure to obey traffic control devices

Operation Safe Driver week will involve law enforcement agencies from the United States, Canada and Mexico. The purpose of this North American campaign is to increase compliance to traffic laws and reduce unsafe driving behavior that leads to serious or fatal collisions.